On Tuesday night, Bally Borough Council received a formal request from Washington Township for an amendment to the inter-municipal sewer agreement between the two municipalities.

            Bally Borough has sewer capacity of approximately 565,000 gallons per day.  In the past, Washington Township purchased 125,000 gallons per day of sewer service from Bally.

            Currently, Washington Township uses approximately 20,000 gallons per day of its allotted sewer service from Bally.  The township would like Bally to amend its agreement so the township's sewer service area could be changed.  An amended agreement would include the area near Kutztown Road, Schwenkenfelder Road, and Gehman Road.  The inter-municipal agreement is due to be renewed within two years.  The borough council will review the township's request for an amendment to the agreement.

            Recently, Bally Emergency Management Coordinator Bruce Hoffman's 911 access was disabled, not once, but twice.  Access to 911 permits the emergency management coordinator to be aware of what is occurring during an emergency. 

            Matt Bakes, Bally Ambulance Secretary, appeared before the borough council to explain it would not happen again.  The borough council will request the chief of Bally Ambulance send the borough an explanation of what steps the ambulance company intends to take to prevent another occurrence.

            Bally Borough representatives met with the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to discuss a suitable location for an alternate borough well.  The borough would like a capacity of 300,000 gallons for a new well.  The 300,000 gallons would provide an alternate for the borough's water and provide for growth. Representatives of DEP suggested a well capacity of approximately 200,000 gallons.

            The borough council will notify property owners whose land abuts North 5th Street and North 4th Street that it intends to vacate a portion of North 5th Street and dedicate a portion of North 4th Street.  The changes will be advertised for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation.

            In other matters, the borough council discussed a new employee handbook that must be reviewed by Solicitor Tim Curley.  The borough council reappointed Curley as its solicitor.  Additionally, it reappointed System Design Engineering, Inc., as its engineer.

            A Boy Scout from Troop 595 attended the lengthy borough council meeting to earn credits for a badge in citizenship.  Curley asked him if he understood any of what had occurred.  The scout remarked that he understood about half of what happened. Curley informed him the borough council is a public meeting and he has the right to attend whenever he likes.

            The Bally Hotel will hold its annual Saint Patrick Day Celebrations with its Irish Wake.  The event will be Thursday, March 16th through Sunday, March 19th.   The borough agreed to provide police and fire police during the event.  The street will be closed beginning at 7 p.m.